


...And the Kids Play Rogue One

by bluetoast



Category: Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Amilyn is the best, Awesome Leia Organa, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Cooking, Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts, F/M, Family, Family Drama, Fluff and Angst, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Parent Han Solo, Young Ben Solo, food is a plot point
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-14
Updated: 2019-09-27
Packaged: 2020-03-05 13:05:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18829237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluetoast/pseuds/bluetoast
Summary: Leia Organa Solo was looking forward to the break in the senate, planning to use the time to enjoy being with her husband and three children, Jaina, Jacen, and Anakin. Until she woke up in the morning in the wrong home, on a strange planet, minus Han and only one child in the house - Ben Solo.Leia Organa planned on using the senate recess to persuade more people of the dangers of the First Order. This wasn't the first time Han stormed off out of the house after a fight either. She had plenty to keep her busy. That was before she woke up in a different Leia Organa's life.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic starts in Legends shortly before The Black Fleet Crisis trilogy

Leia hovered in the space between sleep and awake, the distinct feeling something was wrong. The quiet gave the biggest clue. Either she would open her eyes, check the chronometer and see an early hour, a reassurance and reason to the silence and she could go back to sleep. Worst case, she would see the time much later in the morning, and she'd have to get up and go investigate. She'd learned quiet kids meant trouble. Although, she couldn't sense Han lying in bed next to her, he may have gotten up already and kept the kids out of the room so she could have a lie-in.

Possibly.

Maybe Luke had come by unannounced, that alone seemed reasonable enough for the kids not to demand her getting out of bed, not with the novelty of their uncle here and not dividing the attention. Though one of them would have come and told her, or Han would, and let her go back to sleep.

She heard the soft click of the door opening, and she stretched under the sheets, trying to determine who had come into the bedroom. Did she imagine it, or had the door switched locations? 

Imagining it. Definitely. 

The scent of fresh brewed caf reached her nose and she heard a soft thump as someone set down a mug, followed by a plate. The bringer of breakfast didn't say anything as they left the room, and she frowned. No one in her family walked so silently, and another smell nudged its way into her mind – her pillow smelled of flowers. Too clean, something else which raised her sense of dread and she opened her eyes, slowly sitting up.

This wasn't her bedroom; but it certainly looked like the sort of bedroom she could see herself in. Muted lavender, white and gray dominated the color scheme, the heavy drapes hid the outside world, save for a bright beam of sunlight coming from the chink between the two swaths of fabric.

She glanced at the bedside table, catching sight of the mug of caf, and a flaky pastry, the sort of treat she'd stopped eating after Anakin was born. She loved the stuff, and so did her waistline. “What in the...” She stumbled across the room, throwing back the curtain. 

An unfamiliar side yard.... a yard period. Her view from the apartment on Coruscant was nothing but city and sky. “Where...” She stumbled back, her mind racing. “Han.” She cleared her throat, looking for something to ground her, tell her this wasn't some severely messed up dream. 

She grabbed the bathrobe at the foot of the bed tugging it on, a little surprised it fit, as she went out into the rest of...the house. An actual house – further convincing her of the dream theory. The dwelling too clean, too pristine to belong to her family. Vases with fresh flowers, some of which she'd never seen before, the general air of something her still sleep-addled brain couldn't place, and the quiet. The quiet worried her the most. “This....” 

“Mom?” A voice from behind her caused her to freeze, “Mom, are you okay?” 

Swallowing, she turned – the voice sounded almost familiar, and her eyes widened as she took in the sight of a scrawny, pale faced boy with a mop of dark hair, several years older than the twins. “I...” 

The boy took another step towards her, tilting his head to the side, in the same manner her youngest son, Anakin, tended to do when he studied something or someone. The more she looked at him, the more she saw the resemblance. “Trick.” He went paler, if such a thing could happen, pressing his hands against his eyes. “No, no, I'm dreaming, this isn't real, not real, not real!” 

Leia took a step forward, gently pulling one of the boy's hands from his face, and she noticed the dark circles under his eyes; didn't the child sleep? “I'm not certain what's going on either. If this is a trick, or a dream, we're having the same one.” 

He took a shuddering breath, and she felt something nudge against her through the Force, and he made an odd noise. “You're her but not her.” 

“Pardon me?” She frowned, “what do you mean?” 

His shoulders fell as he stepped back, looking uncertain. “You'll only laugh and tell me I shouldn't listen to my Aunt Amilyn's crazy notions, and then tell me not to call my aunt crazy.” 

She folded her arms, “I've heard plenty of crazy notions in my lifetime, I think I can handle another.” She would find out who this Amilyn was later. First things first. Clearly, the young man didn't seem nearly as alarmed as she felt. One of them could remain a modicum of calm. Good.

“Well, you're in my mom's body, but you're not the same Leia Organa. You belong somewhere else. Odds are, she's where you should be.” He rubbed his nose before taking her hand and leading her into the kitchen – also immensely clean. “Wait right here.” He scurried from the room, back down the hall.

This whole home felt – oddly devoid of the people who lived in it. A stack of data-pads rested on an island counter, and a spherical droid charged in the corner. “Interesting.” She glanced at the wall above, where a flat screen showed two beings, a woman and an orange humanoid, with black and white striped lekku draped over his shoulders, discussing something, the sound currently muted. 

A news-ticker ran along the bottom of the screen, something about delays in a hyper-space lane due to a yearly meteor shower.

She heard the boy return, setting the mug and plate he'd brought to the bedroom on the table. “You'll feel better after you eat something, that's what mom always tells me.” 

Leia sat down, “I can understand her thinking...” she suddenly remembers her manners. Technically, she was this young man's guest, so to speak. “I'm terribly sorry, I don't know your name.” 

“Oh.” He squared his shoulders. “Ben Solo.” He shot a glance at the mug. “did you need cream or sugar?” 

“No, thank you.” She gave him a half smile as she took a drink of caf. She hadn't had a cup this good in years. “What planet are we on?” 

“Hosnian Prime. I liked Chandrila better.” He shuffled into his own chair, and she had to wonder if he'd slept last night at all. He took a drink from his own mug, tea, if she had to guess. She hoped he wasn't drinking caf at his age. As Ben put the mug back down, she could see an ecru colored liquid within – milk with caf?

“I'm afraid I don't know where that is.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “I live on Coruscant.” 

He coughed, “if it helps, the senate went into recess yesterday and won't reconvene for another four weeks, so we have a decent amount of time to fix this.” He took another sip of his drink. “Do you want something more substantial to eat? I can cook something, eggs or...” 

She lowered her hand, giving him another look. Judging from the eyes, she'd go with around seventy or eighty. “How old are you, Ben?” 

“I turn eleven next week.” He shrugged, “It's not a big deal.” Judging from the way his expression changed, her face must have given away her thoughts, or he could pick up such things through the Force as easily as breathing. “I'm fine with it, believe me.” 

“Ben, you're old enough to know when anyone tells you they're fine, they're lying.” Leia took another sip of caf to calm her nerves. “And when a child tells me his birthday isn't a big deal and it doesn't bother him, I'm not going to let the subject drop.” 

He broke her gaze, staring into his mug. “My birthday's the same day as the anniversary of the Galactic Concordance, and that's more important.” He rubbed at an invisible spot on the table. “The same day the Empire surrendered, if you don't have an exact date for the event where you come from, or a different one.” 

She wrapped her hands around her own cup. “I suppose I can see how it could get overlooked by most people. Surely there's something planned for your birthday with your family, Ben.” 

“I sincerely doubt it. Dad took off last night with Uncle Chewie, Uncle Luke's who knows where doing important Jedi things, and Mom...” He trailed off, slipping out of his chair and going over to the fridge. “I'm going to make breakfast.” 

Leia shook her head, silently knowing Ben had inherited the 'I don't want to talk about it gene' from both sides of the family, and trying to get more information out of him right now would take her the better part of the day. She knew this technically wasn't her business, but... 

The droid in the corner made a small whistling noise as it unhooked from the charging station, rolling forward and giving off a series of beeps. 

“No, Sevens, Threepio isn't home yet. Don't worry, Artoo will cause enough trouble to keep him on his circuits while he's gone.” Ben chuckled as the droid rolled out of the room, heading up the hall. He set a few containers on the counter, and a large pan on the stove. “Do you have any questions I might actually want to answer, ma'am?” 

She blinked, barely containing her laugh. Oh, he was the son of Han Solo, no question. “I'll stick with just four. What kind of droid is Sevens, what species is the orange being on the screen, what's on the screen, and what are you making for breakfast?” 

He blew a lock of hair out of his face, “Sevens is a BB-unit, the man on the holo is a tortuga, we're currently watching Mornings with Xenia and Xavier, and...uh...” he waved his hand around the items on the counter, “this will become Alderaanian hot cakes in about twenty minutes or so... um... you do have those, right?” 

Leia rose to her feet, resisting the urge to throw her arms around the boy, “Yes.... but no one makes them anymore. Not after...” 

Ben squared his shoulders. “What happened to Alderaan was a tragedy. But letting the culture fade into obscurity is destroying the planet twice.” 

“Unfortunately, someone employed by the Empire had the job of erasing everything of which the emperor disapproved, or didn't want getting out.” she rubbed her temple, “which is why he destroyed his homeworld and we sadly learned about it after the fact.” 

“Kriff.” He blanched. “I know, I shouldn't say that word. But if he destroyed Naboo, it explains why things are lost. He kept the historical archives there.” He picked up one of the data-pads and turned it on. “Note to self, convince mom we have to go to Great Aunt Sola's for the Festival of Stars this year.” 

Leia sank back into her chair, her hand coming up to cover her mouth. A long buried memory of her childhood, and a visitor to her home on Alderaan. The woman who had looked at her and seen something there; something her childish mind didn't understand, because people gave her odd looks all the time. The woman had never come back, and she never went to where the woman was. She would remember if she had ever gone to Naboo. 

“Oh no.” Ben's voice sounded far away. “Wait...” 

She was dimly aware of someone catching her as she fell to the floor and blackness overtook everything.

*

“I'll make breakfast today, don't worry about it.” Han's voice came from somewhere behind Leia, and she frowned into her pillow. When did he come back home? He never came back so soon, and if he had returned, Sevens would have altered her, unless the scoundrel had turned the droid off. She couldn't let him cook, he'd set the kitchen on fire. “Hey, you awake?” 

“Yes.” She grumbled, “against my will.” She rubbed her eyes, sitting up. “Chewie drag you back here last night?” 

“Huh?” Han gave her an odd look. “What are you talking about?” 

“You know what I'm talking about.” She growled, “don't play innocent with me, not this early in the morning.” She shot a glance towards the bedside table, and jolted when she saw an unfamiliar chronometer, and, the more she looked around, the more she realized she had no idea where she was. This wasn't her room, this wasn't her home...

“Leia?” Han's hand fell on her shoulder. “Talk to me, Princess, what's going on?” 

“I'm dreaming - a weird dream, but a dream.” She didn't look at him, taking in the lived-in look to this place. “I think I would like to wake up now.” She pushed his wrist, not wanting the contact. “I'm not sure what's going on, but this can't...” 

“Mommy!” A voice jolted her as she found her lap full of a small girl, hugging her tightly, “good morning!” 

“What...” she whispered and the child pulled back, giving her curious look. “I don't...” 

The child scrambled off the bed, backing away towards the door. “Someone else is in Mommy!” She looked from one adult to another. “Daddy, That's not Mommy!” 

Han scooped the girl up, “you stay there.” He directed this at Leia before walking out of the room and she heard the lock click into place. 

“I shouldn't have gone to bed with an empty stomach, it makes for such horrible dreams.” She stood up, not intending to leave the room, but at least get a better idea of where the hell she was. She peered out the narrow gap between the window blinds, inwardly cursing at the sight which greeted her. 

Coruscant. Great. 

Still, as far as bad dreams went, this wasn't the worst one she'd ever had. In a few minutes, she'd wake up back in her own bed, a cup of caf on the stand, because Ben did quiet things. He would... she shook her head, going back to the bed, catching sight of something under it. The first completely familiar thing she'd seen since she woke up. 

She crouched down, pulling out the decorative pot out, before sitting on the bed and turning it over in her hands. She'd found something exactly like this the other day in one of those shops she always found herself frequenting when looking for a birthday gift for Amilyn. She liked weird or strange looking pottery, and the seller hadn't told her much when she bought it. Identical, one of a kind pots – possibly the exact same pot. 

Leia had intended to ask Ben if he could find out more about the item before they wrapped it up for her friend. Give him enough time, her son could probably find the exact date something was made, no matter how old. She'd put the pot in her closet, to keep it out of the way and hidden – Amilyn's birthday was two months away, but when you found the perfect thing for a gift ahead of time, you didn't wait. “Maybe I should have asked Ben to starting look for answers straight away.” 

The door clicked open and Han returned, his posture stiff. “I don't know who you are, but you're going to stay in this room for a while.” He took a breath. “I've contacted Luke, and he says he'll be here as fast as he can.” 

She set the pot on the bed next to her, “you can keep track of him, impressive.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “So this isn't a dream.” 

“No.” he answered, “and I don't want you around my kids.” 

Kids. 

More than one. 

A strange idea came to her, and she glanced at the pot, then back at Han. “If I told you I think the Leia Organa you know and myself have somehow switched bodies and realities, would you think I'm crazy?” 

“Yes.” He shook his head, walking away from the door to pace at the foot of the bed. “Because those sorts of things don't happen. How could they happen? I don't...” he stopped, holding his hands out, “okay, let's say, for argument's sake, that's what's happened. Where is she?” 

“Hosnian Prime.” She let out a breath, “and...”

“There's no such place as Hosnian Prime. Try again.” He folded his arms, “I'd have heard of it.” 

“Maybe it has a different name here.” She should have expected to find this Han as insufferable and stubborn as the one she knew, provided her theory panned out. Thank the Maker he'd actually walked out again last night, or the two of them might have gotten here together, and those kids out there would have an even bigger problem. How old was the little girl, six, seven? “Kriff.” 

Han scoffed, “no need to use profanity, your worshipfullness.” 

“Don't call me that.” She glowered in his direction, “I hate it when you call me that.” 

He shrugged, “okay, now I'm a little more convinced of your theory.” He rubbed his eyes, “So... is she going to wake up there alone?” 

“No, my son's there. Ben turns eleven in a couple of days.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Maker, how did he get so old so fast?” 

Han scoffed, “don't ask me, I don't know how the twins turned seven on their last birthday when I swear they turned four the previous year.” He cleared his throat, “you said your son's almost eleven?” 

Leia gave him a look, “don't you judge me, Solo. I'm guessing you have the exact same tickle spots the Han I know has, and...” 

He backed up, laughing, “I'm not going to say a thing. I remember how crazy the party on Endor got, and sometimes, I think I'm still hungover from it.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Okay, so assuming you're right, do you have any idea how this could have happened?” 

She held up the pot she'd found under the bed. “I have a pot exactly like this in my closet. I found it in some out of the way place, a gift for a friend. Trouble is, I don't know the origins. My friend Amilyn well...” she thought for a moment. “she's a little eccentric.” 

“I have no idea where the one here came from. Also don't know anyone named Amilyn.” He sighed, sitting down at the foot of the bed. “So this could be something as simple as the two of you going back to where you belong tomorrow morning?”

“I don't think this is the sort of thing which will just fix itself. The pot might not even have anything to do with what happened. And since when are things ever easy?” Leia let out a breath, and glanced across the room. “I suppose I should inform you all three of your children are currently pressed up against the door trying to listen to this conversation.” 

He gave her an incredulous look before standing and striding over to the door, and as he clicked it open, the children tumbled into the room; the brown haired girl, a boy with the same colored hair, and the youngest, another boy with black hair- exactly like Ben's. “I thought I told you guys to stay in the kitchen with Threepio.” 

“Uh...” the girl stood up first, the older boy helping his brother to his feet. “Well...” 

Leia folded her arms. “Don't tell me you honestly expected them to listen to you. Once a child knows where the deactivation switch is on a droid, you can't leave them alone with said droid again.” 

Han opened his mouth to issue a retort as the dark haired boy crossed the room and stood in front of her, tilting his head to the side as he studied her with intense blue eyes. Not even Luke's eyes could hold a torch to the color. “Anakin, what did I tell you...”

“She's Mommy, but not Mommy.” Anakin answered. “Same but not the same.” He backed away, tugging on his sister's hand. “Look properly, Jaina, Jacen.” His brother and sister came over, the girl still giving her a wary look. “See?” He pointed at Leia. “Not quite, but sort of right.” 

Jacen leaned closer, worrying his bottom lip. “Yeah...” 

Jaina, however, moved until she was almost nose to nose, Leia knew those brown eyes of hers all too well. “How did you know we shut off Threepio?” 

“I used to shut him off all the time too when I was your age. Except I didn't have anyone's shoulders to stand on, so I had to get creative.” She winked and the girl backed up, bursting into giggles. 

“Kids, come on, out of here...” Han cleared his throat. “We're going to get breakfast ready.” He turned to her as the trio shuffled out of the room, all of them giggling now. Guess they hadn't heard such a story from the Leia they knew before. “don't even think of trying to leave the apartment.” 

“Why would I want to and where would I go?” She stood up, “do you need any help in the kitchen?” 

“I've got three helpers, but thanks.” He jerked his head to the left. “Fresher's over there.” He closed the door, locking it behind him.

“Kriff.” she muttered again, setting the jar back under the bed before heading into the fresher. She gave her reflection a once over, trying to notice any difference between this face and the one she usually saw. A little less gray, a little more – relaxed, she supposed. “Thank the Maker the Senate is in recess.”

*

Ben kept the cool cloth on his mother's forehead, uncertain of what else he should do. He'd caught her before she could hit her head on the table or the floor, so at least he'd done something right. He should have known better, his mom didn't like talking about Naboo, or much of anything about the past. He swallowed as he heard Sevens roll back into the kitchen. “Did Aunt Amilyn say she was on her way?” 

The droid beeped an affirmative, coming closer to him as the doorbell rang. 

“Watch her.” He stated as he stood up, going through the living room to the front door, glancing in the view screen before unlocking and opening it. “Thanks for coming so fast, Aunt Amilyn.” 

“Not a problem, Ben. Really, I only live a few blocks away, and there's no traffic.” She stepped into the house, ruffling his hair. “Though Sevens didn't offer details.” She shut the door, locking it behind her as they went into the kitchen. “What happened?” She knelt down, taking the cloth and washing his mom's face.

He took a deep breath before answering. “This morning when mom came out of her room, she wasn't the same person... I mean, she's Leia Organa, but she's not...” 

Amilyn gave him a steadying look. “I know what you're trying to say.” she doused the cloth in the bowl of water and reapplied it to her forehead. “Why did she faint?” 

“I told her was I making Alderaanian hot cakes, which she said no one makes anymore where she's from...” he swallowed. “and her reality's Naboo was destroyed. I guess they didn't get the distress call after the Battle of Endor... or something.” he frowned, thinking over what they discussed right before the woman fainted. “But she didn't know why Naboo was so important until...” 

“Don't think for a minute this is your fault, Ben. You weren't to know.” She waved him over, giving him a one armed hug. “I think she's coming around.” 

He crouched down opposite of his aunt, watching as Leia stirred – he could think of her as Leia, it felt way easier than Not-Mom. “Ma'am?” 

“Nnn...” she groaned, opening her eyes, blinking several times as she looked from one to the other. “Do you always have green hair?” 

“She doesn't have the skin tone to pull off orange, much to her chagrin.” Ben quipped and he helped her sit. “You okay?”

“Little dizzy.” Leia groaned. “Guess I'm not dreaming. Your green hair not withstanding.” 

“Since you're new here, I should let you know I am incapable of giving a damn about what people think of me. Anyone who judges by sight alone deserves a deception or two.” Amilyn answered as Ben helped the woman back into a chair. 

“You shouldn't use those kinds of words around children.” she muttered.

“Like I don't hear worse out of Dad's mouth.” Ben retorted and he saw the corner of his aunt's mouth twitch. “You know I'm right.” 

“Yes, it's true, but you shouldn't say it.” Leia replied, “you don't...”

“Of course he should say it.” Aunt Amilyn interjected. “Someone needs to, and furthermore, telling a child to always remain honest and then reprimand them when they are only confuses them, and the galaxy's confusing enough already.” 

This was one of the reasons Ben loved his aunt – she refused to think of kids as stupid or little adults. She treated them like reasonable beings and capable of thinking on their own. “You want some more caf? Aunt Amilyn?”

“Please.” She managed to get out, giving the current contents of her mug a frown.

“I would love a cup, Ben, thank you.” Amilyn gave Leia a reassuring smile. “We'll get this sorted out, don't you worry.” 

After refilling the mug on the table and giving his aunt one of her own, he turned back to the food on the counter and calmly went back to preparing breakfast. He needed to do something to stay focused. They couldn't fix the switch problem automatically, considering they didn't know how the switch happened in the first place. 

Sevens rolled over to him, issuing a series of beeps, and he frowned. Guess his mom had made a few meeting plans for today. Typical. Senate went into recess, and instead of using the break for actual time off, she went right on like it wasn't. Well, given what the debate she'd spent the past month embroiled in before the break, he couldn't entirely blame her.

Didn't politicians know anything about history? If they kept ignoring the First Order, they would find the galaxy back at war before he turned twelve.

“You better reschedule them all, Sevens.” He sighed as the droid whined, “Yes.” He shot a look over at the two women at the table. Of course Sevens didn't understand what had happened. “I'm certain many of the people involved would love to get out of them too, and I dunno, tell them there's a family emergency, or something.” That excuse always worked on the holo-net shows he watched.

“Good idea.” Aunt Amilyn put in. “Not to doubt you my dear,” this she addressed at Leia, “but I have a feeling the problems we face in the senate are drastically different than yours.” 

“Agreed.” She took a sip of caf. “I do remember I canceled all my meetings where I'm from... I needed some serious downtime with my family.” 

“We'll do our best to get you back so you can enjoy most of it.” She beamed. “However, first the three of us are going to have some breakfast, and after, you and Ben will join me for a rock climbing session. Perfect thing to relieve a little stress. It may not fix this situation, but it will at least clear our heads.” 

Ben grinned as he cracked an egg into the bowl, tossing the shell into the compost bin. “Do you like to rock climb, ma'am?” 

“I...I've not gone in years, but I...” she looked from him to his aunt. “Sounds like fun.” She managed a smile as her hands wrapped around her mug. “You're certain your mother won't mind?” 

He shrugged, “well, technically, right now, you're my mom. Sure, people might think it's a little odd when you show up at the climbing place, but given there's better gossip on the holonet, no one will really notice or care.” He blew another curl out of his face as a timid knock echoed towards them from the back door. “Right on time...” 

Ben ducked out of the kitchen to the small anteroom, checking the view screen before undoing the locks to face the girl crouched down in the bush, her face covered in dirt. “Hi, Mira.” 

The girl shoved a leaf into his outstretched hand. “Make sure the Rebels get this!” She hissed before racing out from the garden patch and back across the yard, heading for her own next door. 

He chuckled, standing and re-locking the door as he came into the kitchen, stopping short when he saw the two women staring at him. “Uh...” he glanced at the leaf and shrugged before going over and handing it to Leia. “This is for you.” 

Aunt Amilyn managed a smile. “Kids in the neighborhood still playing Rogue One then?” 

“Yeah, only they all manage to escape Scarif one way or another. A much happier way to end the story.” He went to wash his hands. 

“What is this meant to be?” Leia said to his back. 

“Death Star plans.” he answered over his shoulder. “sometimes I think giving me the leaf, flower, or whatever they're using counts, and the kid who brings them keeps changing, but I never ask who on the team they are.” He frowned, “I don't think Mira is playing Jyn Erso this time, she usually insists on being Cassian...” he trailed off as he saw the confused look on Leia's face. 

“I think I've missed something else here.” She looked at the leaf, smoothing it down on the kitchen table. “Do you ever join the kids playing the game, Ben?” 

He started beating the eggs, not looking at the two women. “I am playing the game. I'm okay with the same part no matter what. Someone's got a keep an eye out for the Empire, race off to Tatooine, and find General Kenobi.” He grinned, “I am named after him, after all.” 

“You're confused about a great many things right now, dear. You're dripping in confusion and your aura's going haywire.” Aunt Amilyn put in and she stood up, picking up one of the data-pads and bringing it over to the table. “Why don't you keep track of all your questions for the rest of the next few hours, and we'll have an answer session on the other side of lunch Can't trust what you read on the holo-net, you know.” 

“What's the holo-net?” Leia asked just as the sound on the flat screen clicked back on.

“Preparations are already underway for Concordance Day all across the galaxy, each system boasting a more elaborate fireworks display than anyone else's. We'll tell you where to find the biggest shows when Xenia and Xavier return after these messages.” Xavier chuckled and the picture changed to a commercial about vacationing in the Mid-Rim. 

“What happened in your galaxy? The holo-net's been around for three hundred years or more.” He couldn't hide his shock, and judging from his aunt's face, she barely managed to control hers either.

“I don't know.” she wrapped her hands around her mug, taking a large sip of caf, her shoulders trembling slightly.

His aunt stood. “Ben, where did your mother hide the Corellian whiskey?” 

He added milk to the eggs and started to beat them together. “Closet, the drawer with her pajamas.” 

“No, I'll manage fine without.” Leia interjected, standing and coming over to join him at the island counter, washing her hands. “Why don't you show me how to make hot cakes, Ben? So I know what to do when I get back home.” 

“Um...okay.” He saw the encouraging nod from his aunt. “The important thing to remember is to add the dry ingredients to the wet, not the other way around. 'Cause it's easier to judge another teaspoon of flour over another egg, or another cup of milk.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Breakfast at the Solos on Courscant is nothing like Leia Organa is used to. It's a little louder than normal. On Hosnian Prime, Leia Organa Solo is still trying to put all the pieces together, and an afternoon of climbing doesn't go as planned.

Leia didn't know if she'd ever had such a strange breakfast before. Not for the food, but for the company. Meals in her home tended to run on the silent side, with no one talking past a 'please pass the serving bowl' – something she rather regretted when the meals were done. When they did speak, it was more at one another, than with one another. This Solo family however, seemed as loud as hers quiet. She took another sip of caf, trying not to react to the taste; she blamed the water. 

“We're going to have to find something to do indoors until Uncle Luke gets here.” Han stated, “any ideas, kids?” 

“Not cleaning.” Jacen said before anyone else did. “We like the playroom the way it is.” 

Leia gave him a look, “is that supposed to sound suspicious?, because it sounds suspicious. In the 'we're hiding a loth cat kitten in the playroom to prove we're responsible enough a pet' sort of way.” 

“What's a loth cat?” Jaina frowned, “is that like a nexu?” 

“Nothing like a nexu.” She rubbed her temple. “loth cats are a great deal smaller, although they might manage to cause as much damage as a nexu... but when caught will give you a look so innocent, you wouldn't dream of punishing it for turning over every container in the kitchen.” 

“Sounds like these three.” Han remarked, “and you do have a point,” he looked his three children over. “Though I'd say it's more likely they've hidden a droid than an animal.”

Jaina lifted her chin, “we don't have a droid in the playroom.” 

“Not a complete one anyway.” Anakin added, his eyes going wide. “I mean...” 

“Anakin!” The twins said as one and, despite herself, Leia started to laugh. Both at their indignation at getting caught and Han's dumbfounded look. She covered her mouth in an attempt to smother her mirth, and caught the eye of the youngest member of the family, who chewed on a piece of sausage to keep his mouth occupied from spilling anything else he probably shouldn't.

“You're good.” Jacen narrowed his eyes at her. “But I still don't want to clean the playroom.” 

“Who ever wants to clean anything?” She paused, “and don't say Threepio. He's programed for such things.” Leia wrapped her hands around her mug of caf. “Every job you can think of doing is cleaning in one way or another anyway. Even politics.” 

“Nothing changes except the size of the mess.” Han took a breath, “still, you kids might manage better on fixing your hidden droid if everything is put away.” He looked from her to the kids. “We could clean up the playroom and work on this droid together.” 

Jaina sat back in her chair, wrinkling her nose. “That's not the point Dad. We want to prove we can fix it ourselves.” she shot a look at her twin. “Well, we'd have it closer to done if someone didn't keep refusing to use their hands.” 

“Hey!” Jacen let out an indignant noise, “how am I ever going to learn how to make things move with my mind if I don't practice?” 

The girl rolled her eyes. “you practice and it never works. Uncle Luke's told you over and over, you can't rush things.” 

The boy frowned down at his plate and stuffed a large piece of toast into his mouth to hold back his answer. 

Han took a sip of caf, giving her a wry look, “breakfast this exciting at your house?” 

Leia blinked, a bit surprised at the question. “Depends on the day of the week.” She sighed, “usually just sit and eat, listening to Xenia and Xavier on the holoscreen. Inane as those two can get at times.” 

“Who are Xenia and Xavier?” Anakin asked as Jaina added, “What's a holoscreen?” 

She decided to answer the easier question first. “A holoscreen is like a large datascreen – you watch things on it, some things are for entertainment, some are informative.” She took a sip of caf. “Xenia's a human from Chandrila, and Xavier is a Tortuga.” 

The four Solos all gave her a blank look for her statement.

“No holonet, no holoscreens, no Tortugas...” she shook her head. “Thank the Maker your universe has caf, or I might have to go hide under a bed.” 

Jaina giggled, glancing over at her father. “What do Xenia and Xavier talk about?” 

“The galaxy in general, I suppose.” she picked up her fork, “things which in the grand scheme of things don't sound important, like a cooking competition in the Mid-Rim or a pod-race in the Outer. But we need to embrace some forms of frivolity, if only to remind us we are alive – and that we have survived.” 

Jacen wiped his mouth with his sleeve. “Sounds stupid.” 

“Manners, young man. You're old enough to know the function and purpose of a napkin.” she replied, taking a bite of her eggs. 

Jaina and Anakin both started giggling.

*

Leia tugged on the cuffs of her gloves, trying not think how out of place she felt. The harness firmly attached around her waist gave her some semblance of safety. The massive climbing wall stretched up half a dozen stories – and as she clipped the helmet into place, she looked up to see Ben waiting a few yards up from the ground. “You go on, I'll catch up.” 

He frowned before turning back around and starting up the wall again. 

A part of her felt absolutely wretched for doing this; spending time with Ben, acting like nothing was wrong when so many things... 

“Quit worrying.” Amilyn's voice cut into her thoughts, “we need to work out the stress before we can get anything resolved. We'd only grow confused if we dove straight in.” She pulled herself up onto the wall, starting up after Ben. “Come on, stretch those muscles.”

Shaking her head, she grabbed one of the handholds and started up. The woman explained how other-Leia and her had met and become friends; a complete and total opposite of her friend, Winter. Maker – her poor friend, good thing she had taken off for a long overdue rest two weeks ago, or she'd drive herself insane with worry. 

“You gotta stay focused.” Ben's voice came from her left. He must have climbed back down to her level. “You don't want to slip and fall.” 

“I won't.” she gave the boy a smile, “what, is someone watching?” 

He made a face, “not right now. But you never know.” He looked around them, “the media is full of vipers who'd love to write garbage to discredit you. Well, my mom, but...” 

She sighed, “come on, we best get going before Amilyn thinks we're not doing what we're supposed to – which is having fun.” 

“You're too worried to have fun.” He shrugged and hauled himself up a little further, “maybe this will all sort out in the night, same way you got here.” 

“Things are never that easy.” She continued after him, flinching at the slight twinge of pain in her side; okay, she knew that ache all to well. “You know it's not going to just fix itself.” She drew level with him, and saw the odd look on his face. “What is it, Ben?” 

“I guess neither of us know how to relax.” He countered, “but this is sort of fun.” 

“It's better than staying in the house, driving ourselves crazy.” they continued upward, “afraid my kids don't get much chance to climb things where we live. I think the last serious climbing was done by my youngest when he scaled a shelf.” 

Ben snickered, “no climbing walls on Coruscant?” 

“There are, but I don't have time to take them, and well...” she didn't want to go into all the chaos which had struck her family in recent years. She and Han had only recently come to the decision that one of them had to stay with the kids on at all times, at home or not. Really, it was Han who stayed with their children while she sorted things out in the Senate.

“Make a family day of it.” He shrugged as they continued up, “you know, like this is, only without the body-swapping and overly serious conversations.” 

“Do you have family days, Ben?” They reached a small ledge, a sign marking the height stating it was as high as a cliff on a planet she'd never heard of. 

“Not really.” he paused, glancing up the wall. From where they clung, they could see Amilyn a good dozen feet above them; her green hair making her stand out from the gray wall. “We should get going.” 

“Yes.” She pushed up from the ledge, listening to Ben scramble up after her. A great deal was going on here the young man didn't want to discuss; at least, not in public. She'd gleaned very little from the brief time she'd been here. She had no idea what it was about, but last night other-Han and other-Leia had an argument, ending with Han storming out of the house.

Maybe Chewbacca would drag him back home by his ear before the week was out; if Ben's name-day was next week, she couldn't imagine the wookie letting Han get away with him not coming home for it. 

She grasped one of the handholds before moving her feet, looking up to see Ben had nearly drawn level with Amilyn. “You two are too fast for me.” She let out a breath, frowning as the Force rippled around her. The sensation felt cold; and she bit her lip, reaching towards the flicker; trying to find a source, only for a shrill cry from above to snap her focus back to the moment, and she looked up in time to see Ben flying away from the wall, suspended over the massive drop to the floor by his safety harness. 

“Kriff.” She scrambled for the ground, dreading to find out what the hell had just happened.

*

The playroom, it transpired, desperately needed cleaning. The only thing Leia could ever recall seeing in more disarray, was the rebel base on Hoth. When she said as much, Han stated at least it didn't reek of wet tauntaun. The Solo kids had never heard their father's opinion of the beasts, and the tidying up of the disaster area turned into quite the story telling session.

While many things of both realities were different, some were shockingly similar; strange how the series of events from the time she gained the plans of the first Death Star to the end of the Battle of Endor were almost perfectly aligned. 

Anakin yawned as he set the last of the building blocks into their case. “I'm not sleepy, I don't need a nap. Only babies need naps.” 

“Everyone needs naps from time to time.” Han answered before Leia could. “Without decent rest, we all become overgrown two year olds.” 

Jaina giggled as she shut the lid on the toy box. “Mom says the same thing, and I think half the time she wishes the senate would all take one every afternoon.” 

“Some of the senators I know don't just need a nap, they need an extra long time out.” Leia gave Jacen a sideways look. He had not moved from his place near the ball bin, his focus solely on a large blue and green ball, his hand outstretched. “You might manage better if you pick it up.” 

“I want to do it this way.” He retorted, “I just...” 

His sister rolled her eyes and stood, going across the room and grabbed the ball, tossing it into the basket. “Come on Jacen, the sooner we get the cleaning done, the sooner we can actually do something fun.” 

The boy glowered as he stood up, tossing the rest of the balls and bean bags into the large basket, frustration fairly rolling off him like waves. 

“I know kid, you'd rather go outside. It's only for two days.” Han helped Anakin put the block container away. “Does your son play outside?” 

Leia stood, grimacing at the slight pain in her knees. “A few times a week, the kids in the neighborhood usually ask him to come out when they're playing hide and go seek or tag.” She paused, “although there's another game they seem quite fond of playing. I'm not certain what it is, but involves a great deal of running and hiding in bushes.” She could remember something else about the game. “And yelling. There's lot of yelling.” 

“Wait, you have a _yard_?” Jacen interjected. “Like, a real yard with grass and trees and flowers?” 

“Yes.” She took a breath, “Hosnian Prime is similar to Coruscant with all the buildings, but unlike this planet, it has more green spaces. True, the idea you're in the middle of nowhere is ruined when you can see towering structures everywhere on the horizon instead of mountains...” 

“Like the compound's park, then?” Jaina sat down on the toy box, and Anakin scrambled up next to her. “Sorry, you might not know what I mean.” 

“I have an idea.” She picked up a stray ball, tossing it into the basket next to Jacen. “But I agree with Ben. I liked living on Chandrila better. You can hear yourself think.” 

Somewhere in the apartment, a small dinging noise started and Han shook his head. “I'll take care of that.” he walked out of the playroom, leaving the four of them alone.

“Can you tell us some more stories?” Jacen spoke up before his siblings could. “You have completely different stories than Mom.” 

Leia blinked, taking in the boy's statement. “I'm not...” she saw Jaina and Anakin lean forward, their faces expectant. “I... I know a few...” she shifted to sit down, flinching at the small pain in her knee; and she rubbed at the sore spot. “I suppose I could tell you about me and my friend Amilyn...” she paused, “you don't know someone named Amilyn Holdo, do you?”

The three children exchanged glances and Jaina cleared her throat. “No, we don't. Is she nice?” 

Chuckling, Leia leaned against the wall. “Extremely. She also has one quality about her I have envied from the day I met her, and no matter how hard I try, I can't do it.” 

“What's that?” Jacen spoke quickly.

“She's incapable of caring what people think about her. As she says, the problem is not with her, the problem is with them.” she managed a grin, “currently, her hair is the most lurid shade of green. And when you're a high ranking officer in the New Republic navy, no one is really going to tell her she can't. It's her hair.” she rubbed the back of her neck, deciding she would avoid talking about the more – adult things she knew about Amilyn. 

*

Waking up felt like swimming through syrup. The last clear memory Ben had was of loosing his grip on the climbing wall, as the ugly, cold, wet feeling which usually only came by night stuck him hard; and he shivered, hating himself. Why couldn't he make the bad thing stop? He tried, he pushed, he tried to shut it out, but whatever caused it, was far stronger than him.

“Shh...” a voice said from above him as a soft cloth brushed his face. “don't rush it, Ben. One step at a time.” 

“Nnn...” he wanted to curl into a ball; great, now the other-Leia was going to find out what a mess he was. 

“You're not a mess, Ben Solo.” she sighed, “I may not have known you for long, but you are most assuredly not a mess.” 

He cracked an eye open, trying to focus and failing. “Why....” 

“You're extremely lucky you didn't swing back into the climbing wall, or you'd have a few more bruises.” Not-mom said, quite resigned, “I may have also smacked someone gawking at us as Amilyn and I got you back down to the ground.” 

“Neat.” He managed a smile which turned into a flinch as pain laced through his head. “Ow.” He sighed as she settled the cloth over his eyes. 

“You have a very clean room, Ben Solo.” She chuckled, “I think this might help you better than he will under the bed.” she placed something soft and plush in his hand, “what kind of creature is this?” 

Ben swallowed, squeezing the toy, feeling tears prick at his eyes. “Only babies need these...” he gulped, “Chirrut's a loth cat.” He hated this, feeling so... confused. “I hid him from Dad. I don't want Dad to think I'm a baby.” 

Not-mom snorted. “If he stormed out of here last night, I think he's the one who might need to grow up some.” She sighed, “I don't know what the fight he and your mother had was about, but maybe, if we're lucky, Chewbacca will shake some sense into him.” she went back to wiping his face. 

“I can see Uncle Chewie doing that.” He let out a breath. “I'm sorry I ruined the afternoon.” He gave the cat another squeeze, the comforting feeling the little animal always seemed to cause helping him relax.

“You did not ruin the afternoon, Ben. I'm just glad you're all right.” She let out a breath. “The... whatever caused the disturbance in the Force, that's what's to blame, not you.” She set the cloth aside and helped him to a sit, handing him a cup full of water. “slowly now.” 

He took a small sip, his stomach still unsettled. Everything since this morning when the other Leia showed up felt strange; like it had all happened to someone else, or one, long dream. “no loth cats where you come from?” 

“No.” she smoothed his hair back; this woman was super affectionate – and he found he didn't mind in the least. “are they naturally purple?” 

“Some are.” He drank a little more water. “The holonet's full of loth-cat videos. I... I watch them when I can't sleep.” His shoulders slumped, “which is most nights.” 

Leia frowned, shaking her head as she set the cloth aside. “I don't know the whole of what's going on in this reality, Ben, but I do know something is very, very, wrong.” the hand resting on her knee balled into a fist, “whatever caused this...” she took a breath, “there is someone or something which is...” 

Ben bolted forward, dropping the cup to the floor as he wrapped his arms around the woman, barely able to contain his sobs. Finally, finally, someone could sense what he did, someone who knew or at least, admitted there was a monster in the dark, and it wasn't just the darkness of the galaxy in general. “It's awful.” 

“Kriff.” Not-mom kept rubbing his back in slow circles, her arm around him tightening. “Maker, Ben, I am going to have to find your Uncle Luke before tomorrow and smack him upside the head. Sounds like he needs it.” 

Now that he'd started, he didn't think he could stop crying. “I want it to stop. I try to make it stop and I can't. He's too strong.” He gulped as she tucked the loth cat back into his grip, smoothing down his hair and making soft crooning noises; this was simultaneously the most wonderful and most embarrassing moment of his life. 

“I'm going to do what I can to help you, Ben.” She rested her chin on the top of his head, her force-signature wrapping around his like a wonderfully soft blanket. “Go ahead and get your tears out.” she soothed, “better out than in.” 

Ben managed a blubbery giggle. “Sorry about the mess.” 

“Take your time, young man.” she rubbed his back in slow circles. “Believe me, I've seen bigger disasters than spilled water.” 

“I just...” he coughed, “I think Mom knows there's something out there too...” he didn't want to completely discredit his parents, or at least, make an attempt at defending them. “but she's busy.” 

“Busy.” the word came out with a hiss. “I think several someones need to sort out their priorities.” 

“That's what Mom said to Dad last night during their fight.” he sniffled, relaxing his grip. “Dad made plans to go somewhere off-world for Concordance Day, and he wouldn't be home. He said he didn't need to get all dressed up and have a lot of fuss and nonsense.” 

Leia made a snorting noise. “Was your mom angry he made plans or angry he forgot your birthday?” 

“Mom expects a united front. So she was mad about the plans. I think the only one who remembers it's my birthday next week are the droids and Uncle Chewie.” He sniffled, pulling back to blow his nose. “Like I said, it doesn't matter.” 

She frowned in reply, twisting the cloth in her hand as Sevens rolled into the room and began siphoning the spilled water from the floor. “Ben, you wouldn't happen to know a woman named Mara Jade, would you?” 

He shook his head. “No, sorry.” he paused, “who's she?” 

“Long story.” she gave him another hug. “You feeling a little better?” 

“I guess.” He turned the loth-cat over in his hands. “Where's Aunt Amilyn?” 

“She went back to her house, said she wanted to do a little research.” She frowned, scanning the room, “I'm not one hundred percent certain what's going on, or how your mother and I got switched, but my suspicions lie with the Force.” 

“Why would the Force do it?” He didn't look at her. “It doesn't make sense.” 

“Oh, I see you hate the term 'the Force works in mysterious ways' too.” she chuckled, “we'll figure this all out...” she trailed off.

“What?” Ben sat up a little straighter, setting his stuffed cat aside. “I can tell you've thought of something.” 

“You know there's something out there, in the shadows, yes?” She smoothed down his hair as he nodded. “Does your mother know there is too?” 

He sighed, “I think so. But she doesn't...” he hung his head, “she doesn't have time to explain, or she doesn't want to talk about it, and she's busy, dad doesn't understand, and Uncle Luke isn't here.” 

Not-mom gave him a look. “Too busy.” her eyes darkened for a moment. “What is your mom doing in the Senate as of late, does she tell you?” 

“Trying to get people to believe the First Order is bad news.” he rubbed the back of his neck. “They're what's left of the Empire, and no one really seems to care about what they're doing, because they're all they're in the Outer Rim.” 

She snorted, “oh yes, who cares what happens out there, nothing is out there, kriff and crackers.”

“Right.” he nodded, “too many people don't care, because there's nothing important out there.” he rolled his eyes, “until they notice the prices of fuel or some other basic good skyrocketing. It's why no one cared what the Separatists did until they blockaded Naboo.” he paused, “you think the First Order and the thing are connected?” 

Non-Mom nodded, picking up his datapad and handing it to him. “If my switching places has caused a disturbance in the Force like I think it did, odds are, Luke's on his way here.” she stood, picking up the water glass. “I'm going to go refill this, and would you mind terribly giving me a quick history lesson of the past fifty years? I think our Clone Wars aren't anywhere near the same.” 

“Sure!” he managed a weak grin, “I mean... yes, of course.” he grimaced as his stomach rumbled. 

She took a breath, “we're going to need to eat soon too, we missed lunch. Though I have no idea what's in the kitchen we could have for dinner.” she smiled, “what do you usually have?” 

Ben tossed the blankets aside and got out of bed, clutching the datapad. “Depends on if I'm eating alone or not.” 

“Hm.” she made a face, “well, let's go into the kitchen and see if we can put something together, and you can start my history lesson.” 

*

Han Solo had seen more than his fair share of insanity in the galaxy. His life had gone from what he could only describe as strange to downright unbelievable the day he went to a bar in Mos Eisely on Tatooine and picked up a farm boy and a crazy old man. In retrospect, the last easy thing he'd done since then was marching into the detention center on the first Death Star. He and Leia decided to make this new arrangement where one of them was always with the kids for the sake of their family.

Having your wife switched with another Leia Organa-Solo was not part of the plan. These sort of things didn't happen. Of course, three years ago, Luke found a woman trapped inside a computer and she managed to swap places with the bodies of one of his students, so he shouldn't exactly be too surprised. Within the confines of your own reality, sure. 

Across the barriers between one path and another – that was stretching his thinking. His brother-in-law better push that battered X-Wing of his until the bolts were rattling to get here before tomorrow morning. 

The sound of his three children laughing hysterically snapped him from his thoughts. This wasn't the normal giggles – this was full-fledged gales of amusement. He came to the door of the nursery and looked in to see them holding their sides as they gave over to their mirth, he swore he could see tears going down both Jaina's and Anakin's cheeks.

Other-Leia looked perfectly serene in all this. “So there our group is, all snug, warm, and back first and he's staring at us, jaw on the floor like a herd of banthas had just done their business all over his brand new speeder.” 

Han smirked, folding his arms and leaning against the doorway, the story unfamiliar, but he can imagine the look she's describing perfectly. 

Jacen coughed, “banthas doing their business...” 

“And Amilyn, just lowers her mug of hot cocoa, looks at the other group, all soaking wet and shivering and says, 'what took you guys so long? I thought you were taking the shorter route.'” 

Jaina let out a squeal, falling off the beanbag she was sitting on. “That's great!”

“Let me guess...” Han cleared his throat, “you have new stories.” 

Other-Leia gave a slight shrug. “They asked for stories. Don't worry, I haven't told them anything they're too young to know.” 

He came into the nursery as Jaina got back up, “well, it's something to pass the time.” he rubbed his temple. “though I'm trying to figure out how many differences there are between this reality and yours.” 

“You'll just give yourself a headache if you keep thinking about that.” she rubbed her temple, frowning as Anakin got up from his seat and wrapped his arms around her waist.

“You need a hug, I could tell. You want to go home too.” He intoned.

Other-Leia returned the hug, mussing his hair. “Are you five or are you fifty, Anakin Solo?” 

“What, your kid's eyes don't look so old?” Han quipped, his smile fading as he saw her expression change. 

“Older.” she let out a sigh, “his look about ten-thousand.” 

“Kr... crackers.” he coughed, deciding to suggest the first thing he could think of. “Okay, what do you kids think we should have for lunch?”


End file.
